Pass Paid Sick Days, Minimum Wage, and Anti-Retaliation Protections!

Posted by Brenda Wiest5sc on February 26, 2015

People who work hard and play by the rules should be able to support their families. This basic principle is the cornerstone of the American Dream that created the middle class. Yet over the past decade, incomes for those at the top have grown exponentially while hard-working families have seen their pay stall and their ability to take care of their family diminished. And too many are simply being denied the wages they've rightfully earned.

In Olympia this year, the state House of Representatives is about to vote on legislation to address these issues and give hardworking people a fair chance to support their families. The bills would:

Protect workers who face retaliation for speaking up about wage theft and simply trying to earn a hard day's wage (HB 1354).

Raise the state's minimum wage to $12 per hour over the next four years (HB 1355). More than half a million workers -- many of them working moms -- would benefit from this increase.

Allow workers to earn paid sick leave to recover from an illness or take care of a sick child (HB 1356). Sick leave protects customers from getting sick and ensures workers don't have to choose between their health and paying their bills.